Kenneth Eng
{{short description|American documentary filmmaker}}
{{About|the Chinese-American documentary film director|the Asian-supremacist columnist|AsianWeek#Kenneth Eng}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Kenneth Eng
| image =
| birth_date =
| birth_place = Boston, Massachusetts
| birth_name =
| spouse =
| occupation = Film director, editor
| years_active = 2004 - present
| website = https://www.kennetheng.com/
| alma_mater = School of Visual Arts (NYC)
Boston Latin School
| parents = Yau King Eng (father)
Yuan Lin Eng (Wong) [https://www.tributearchive.com/obituaries/14720534/yau-king-eng- "Obituary: Yau King Eng"], tributearchive.com, October 1, 2018
}}
Kenneth Eng is an American documentary film director and editor.{{Cite web|url=https://www.mocanyc.org/visit/events/mocatalks_with_filmmaker_kenneth_eng|title=MOCATalks with filmmaker Kenneth Eng|website=mocanyc.org|access-date=2019-10-10}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.easternkicks.com/features/kenneth-eng-interview-my-life-in-china|title=Kenneth Eng Interview: My Life In China|website=easternkicks.com|access-date=2019-10-10}} He is best known for his work on the documentary films My Life in China, Kokoyakyu: High School Baseball and Take Me to the River.{{Cite web|url=http://archive.pov.org/kokoyakyu/film-description/|title=Kokoyakyu|website=archive.pov.org|date=23 January 2006 |access-date=2019-10-10}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.buffalorising.com/2005/08/take-me-to-the-river-a-documentary-film-experience/|title=Take Me To The River – A documentary film experience|website=buffalorising.com|date=22 August 2005 |access-date=2019-10-10}}
Life and career
Kenneth was born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts.{{Cite web|url=http://www.windermeresun.com/2016/04/26/meet-the-award-winning-chinese-american-film-director-kenneth-eng-during-celebration-of-asian-pacific-american-heritage-month/|title=Meet the Award Winning Chinese American Film Director Kenneth Eng During Celebration of Asian-Pacific American Heritage Mont|website=windermeresun.com|date=27 April 2016 |access-date=2019-10-10}} He graduated from Boston Latin School, afterward moved to New York to study film at the School of Visual Arts in 1994.{{Cite web|url=https://www.gf.org/fellows/all-fellows/kenneth-eng/|title=KENNETH ENG|website=gf.org|access-date=2019-10-10}} His thesis film, Scratching Windows, about graffiti writers, was broadcast on PBS nationally.{{Cite web|url=http://archive.pov.org/blog/povdocs/2016/05/america-reframed-unfiltered-kenneth-eng-and-self-realization-through-documentary/|title=AMERICA REFRAMED UNFILTERED: Kenneth Eng and self-realization through documentary|website=archive.pov.org|access-date=2019-10-10}}
Kenneth's documentary film, Take Me to the River, about the Maha Kumbh Mela festival in Allahabad, India.{{Cite web|url=https://rblodge.com/event-calendar/2019-01/film-screening-take-me-to-the-river-kumbh-mela|title=FILM SCREENING: TAKE ME TO THE RIVER|website=rblodge.com|date=16 May 2019 |access-date=2019-10-10}} In 2006, he directed the feature documentary, Kokoyakyu: High School Baseball, about the Koshien Tournament in Japan, was broadcast on PBS nationally.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/04/arts/television/04gate.html|title=In 'Kokoyakyu,' Youth Baseball, Japanese Style|work=The New York Times |date=4 July 2006 |access-date=2019-10-10|last1=Gates |first1=Anita }}
In 2014, Kenneth directed My Life in China, a documentary about his father Yau King Eng and his history since leaving China and coming to America, premiered at the San Diego Asian Film Festival.{{Cite web|url=http://festival.sdaff.org/2014/films/my-life-in-china/|title=MY LIFE IN CHINA|website=festival.sdaff.org|access-date=2019-10-10}}
Filmography
| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:left" | |||
| | Year | Film | Director | Editor |
|---|---|---|---|
| | 2004
| Take Me to the River | {{yes}} | {{yes}} | |||
| | 2006
| Kokoyakyu: High School Baseball | {{yes}} | {{yes}} | |||
| | 2012
| Bikini Barbershop: Jersey | | {{yes}} | |||
| | 2014
| {{yes}} | {{yes}} | |||
| | 2015
| Tested | | {{yes}} | |||
| | 2016
| Beartrek | | {{yes}} | |||
| | 2018
| The Most Interesting Man in Show Business | | {{yes}} |
Awards and honors
- 2007 Guggenheim Fellowship
- 2015 - won Best Documentary Feature at the San Diego Asian Film Festival for My Life in China{{Cite web|url=http://festival.sdaff.org/2014/2014/2014-sdaff-winners-announced/|title=2014 SDAFF winners announced!|website=festival.sdaff.org|access-date=2019-10-10|archive-date=2015-09-10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150910121312/http://festival.sdaff.org/2014/2014/2014-sdaff-winners-announced/|url-status=dead}}
Further reading
- Ransom, Jan. [https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2015/11/26/father-true-american-dream-realized/MBvoBCmmoitzpFdNjSdXXP/story.html "A Father's True American Dream, Realized"], The Boston Globe, November 26, 2015
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{IMDb name|2196616|Kenneth Eng}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Eng, Kenneth}}
Category:American documentary film directors
Category:Year of birth missing (living people)
Category:Filmmakers from Massachusetts
Category:American film directors of Chinese descent